Somber mood engulfed the Mombasa media fraternity on Saturday following the death of their colleague Fatma Rajab.
Ms Rajab, a News reporter with Mombasa based radio station MoRadio was suffering from heart related disease since 2014, a disease she bravely battled until Saturday morning when the curtains fell.
The Mombasa based scribe worked at an Islamic based radio station Radio Salaam before she joined MoRadio in 2023.
According to her father Rajab Simenze, on Thursday, Fatma started vomiting blood where she was rushed to the Coast General Teaching and Refferal Hospital (CGTRH) where she was immediately admitted at the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
According to the CGTRH ICU resident medical doctor Hassan Ali, Fatma suffered rheumatic heart disease, a condition triggered by parmanent damage of the heart valves due to rheumatic fever.
Dr Ali said Fatma’s heart valves were deformed, a situation she has bravely fought since she was 14.
Efforts
However, during ablood drive organised by fellow journalists in Mombasa on Friday to save the life of the young journalist, Dr Ali noted that the patient was stable but reiterated that there was need for urgent heart valves replacement surgery immediately the patient was stable.
According to the family, Fatma, 26 on Thursday night experienced heart complications and breathing problems, where doctors spent the whole night stabilising her.
“However, on Saturday morning her heart beat stopped and she breathed her last,” said Dr Ali.
Fatma needed a whopping 1.8 million shillings for the heart valves replacement surgery. From Thursday this week the family and journalists came together for the noble course.
Tributes
Among those who mourned the late Fatma are Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir and his Lands, Housing and Urban renewal County Executive Committee Member (CECM) Mohammed Hussein Mohammed who condoled with the family praying for strength during the grieving period.
Also Muslim cleric Sheikh Abou Qattada mourned with the family praying for strength during the difficult period.
“God’s plans are beyond human’s, we did all we could do but we have to accept the fact that our colleague Fatma Rajab is no more, may her soul rest in peace,” said Daily Nation newspaper Mombasa based reporter Mkamburi Mwawasi who on Thursday led her colleagues in a blood drive to save Fatma’s life.
Fatma’s body has been taken to her family home in Kashani, Kisauni Subcounty where family and colleagues in the media fraternity will conduct night vigil prayers until Sunday where the body of the deceased will be buried at the Mkomaji cemetery in Nyali Subcounty under Islamic rituals.
